Multimedia Final: Moν λείπεις

Hope you enjoy!

Self Evaluation

Word Count: 758

This semester I do not know if I would say I have necessarily learned a lot. I learned about podcasts and how to make one, but I can say however I was able to build on the skills I already know. I really enjoyed being able to take my previous knowledge, for example within videos and photography, and use it and expand on it. I was able to use my pictures from Greece and turn it into a final project rather than them being constrained to a photo album. I also enjoyed being able to use my passion for basketball and turn it into a fictional story. As I write this post however, I realize that I did learn a lot within this class this semester. I learned a lot about myself. I learned that everything is not black and white but can be expanded on or interpreted differently. I have learned that I enjoy reading and listening to narration when it is not solely related to school but has fictional aspects to it. I also learned that the things I have experienced can relate to other aspects of my life, and can be described through fiction rather than only focusing on its reality.

I really enjoyed having a class where I could free write, I could think about myself and focus on my thought processes rather than memorization I enjoyed the opportunity to be creative, to look at poems, stories, images, and videos and interpret them and analyze them how I wanted to rather than to the expectations of a teacher. I really appreciate that chance because I know when I get out of college I may chose to read for fun or expand my photography skills because I know I enjoy them, just when they're not related to school. Even though creative writing is a class, it never felt like work. I almost used blog posts and listening to podcasts as my "break" from school work because the task was enjoyable, I was doing work without realizing it.

One of my favorite moments from the class was listening to the podcast Homecoming. Sometimes when I watch TV shows or movies I fail to pay attention, I get distracted by work or my cell phone. While I listened to the podcast however I was intrigued every second of it. If I got distracted I would pause it or rewind until I found the last place I remember. It was also very new to me because I never listened to a podcast before, I could never concept how people could be so interested in them until I listened to Homecoming.  I also enjoyed making the podcast because it was something new to me. I liked working with Jeff because we had similar interests. I think the story we came up with was very successful for the period of time we had to fit it within, I wish however we had more access to free sound effects because that could have really added to the final product. It could have been really amazing to go to a basketball game and record the sounds. I also am unfamiliar with downloading music so it made it challenging for me to get these things without paying for them.

One thing I wish I did differently included the movie made from the piece of fiction we read. I wish we had more time because there could have been a few very interesting things done with the video I made based off of the story line. The story had so much involved within it that I think something very successful could have come out of it with more time. I understand why we did not have a lot of time to do it however because we needed to focus on the final project as a whole.

Overall I enjoyed the class. I think out of my basic understanding of technology my projects came out well. I was always amazed by the things other students did and it has inspired me to be a little more creative. I wish I had more time in general because my projects may have came out much differently. I also wish maybe some of the blog posts I was able to be more creative. I look forward to pursuing my photography and now I know I can take more videos because I know how to put them together. I learned a little about technology, but I really learned a lot about myself and my own abilities.

Remembering My Trip

Word Count: 1185

During high school both of my parents became ill and I was responsible for taking care of them. I missed out on many opportunities because of their illnesses. Once they passed away, and I came to college, I had very little purpose at school. I did not know what I wanted to do, I knew I wanted to go into education, however I just went with the flow. My first few months I went to class, went to work, and did school work, I never did anything fun. One day however I learned about a study abroad trip in Greece, I always wanted to go to Greece and this opportunity filled me with so much purpose. I won scholarships to cover the cost of my trip, and in May 2017 I got over the fear of leaving my other family behind, I got on a plane for the first time since I was a child, and I left for Greece.

I flew into Athens and met other students on the same trip as me. We were on the “Lifestyles of the Mediterranean” program held by the Kinesiology and Health Department. During my trip we stayed in Athens, Glyfada, Peloponnese, and Nafplio. We visited islands such as Spetses, saw the Acropolis and the Parthenon, I shopped in the Plaka, swam in the ocean, and went to the site of the first olympic games.

Out of all of these experiences, three things stand out to me more than anything else. The first thing includes volunteering at Organization Earth. Currently, there are thousands of refugees flocking to Greece everyday. These individuals stay in locations such as the old stadiums from the 2004 olympic games. These refugees are coming from Turkey, Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, and more. Organization Earth was a farm that grew their own vegetables, focused on sustainability, had olive trees, had animals, and gave individuals like myself the opportunity to make a difference for these refugees. As a class we cooked a meal that was given out to over 60 refugees. This meal included Kalofagas which is a soup made of chickpeas and vegetables, we also made a rice dish. These meals were both simple but allowed an individual to not go hungry that day. I will never forget this opportunity because I learned to cook and I also got volunteer experience. I think this opportunity stands out to me because my mom always encouraged me to volunteer. We would always volunteer through girl scouts, my elementary school, or by doing things such as organizing food drives. If it was not for my mom encouraging me to do these activities, I most likely would not have the goals I have to teach and have the same passion I have to help others.

The second thing I remember the most was all of the physical activity we participated in. During the trip we took dance lessons and learned about all of the traditional dances. Different cities and islands within Greece have different dances, and in most of the cultures the men were the ones dancing. One of my favorite adventures included a hike to the top of Palamidi Castle. This hike was over 1000 steps to the top, once you got to the top you saw all of Nafplio, and there was an old prison where they would keep war criminals. Another hike we took ended at a beach where we all swam after. The water was cold because in May the temperature is the same there as it is in America. It was actually warmer in America at this time then it was in Greece. The water was crystal clear however, you could see your feet while you swam and the bottom of the ocean. One of the most amazing things about the beach was it was made entirely of rocks. Beaches were not sandy and you did not bring chairs with you to lay on the beach. All of the beaches had beach beds for you to lay on, of course they cost money,but you had no choice or you were sitting on rocks. My one friend fell asleep on them and said it was comfortable but it was not worth me trying. The entire trip was very active and we were constantly learning about the importance of physical activity. My mom was a very active person, always bringing me on hikes, swimming for hours in the ocean, or doing simple things like playing basketball outside. She loved to hike and we would go as often as we can, even if it was a quick 30 minute walk in the woods. The hikes and adventures I went on in Greece were ones she would have loved to experience. I wish she could have been with me, but on one of my trips I wore a shirt that had her picture on it so I knew she was able to experience it with me.

The last, most impactful, wonderful, life changing experience from my trip was being able to enjoy all of the Greek food. I ate feta cheese for breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day. I took cooking classes where I learned to make spanakopita. I tried foods I never had before like sardines, or foods I never heard of before. I learned about producing food and food sustainability. I was able to visit markets and buy from local farmers. I learned about the difference in food production from Greece compared to America. For example, feta cheese in Greece is made with sheep and goat milk, while in America it is made from cow's milk. The feta cheese in Greece was much more creamy and less salty. Another big difference from the two countries was the texture of the honey, which I am obsessed with their honey. They have a huge emphasis on the use of olive oil, nuts, and limit as many processed ingredients as possible. Food is a major aspect to their culture also because of social reasons. Dinner usually takes over 2 hours and this is when individuals have the opportunity to talk to each other rather than just eat. It was really nice to be able to appreciate food, but treat eating as an experience rather than a requirement. Eating my way through Greece was something I could also relate to my mom and the things she taught me. My mother was a fantastic cook, always encouraging me to try new things. We always would eat gyros together, but she was never afraid to try something new, or drive far for good food. Even though this is something so simple, it was important to her to make sure I embraced other cultures through their cuisine. My mom's desire to adventure and explore all aspects of life truly have shaped the individual I am today. Without her desire to learn more, I never would have taken the opportunity to travel. I am so grateful to have her passion instilled within me and I cannot wait to see what other journeys I go on in which I can relate things back to her.

The Fourth State of Mind

Practice Video

Multimedia Final

Word Count: 790
For my final project I intend on using the images and experiences from my Study Abroad trip. Over the summer I went to Greece for two weeks and learned about the lifestyles of the Mediterranean. We learned about the importance of healthy eating, physical activity, the history of Greece, and agriculture. My trip was two weeks long but it was the greatest experience I have ever had. I wish it was longer but I look forward to going back. During my trip we stayed in a city called Glyfada which is located in Athens for one week. During the second week we stayed in Nafplio which is located in Peloponnese which is a peninsula. I cannot wait to go back but look forward to going to other areas of Greece such as Santorini. During my trip I took photos and videos so I intend on using them for my project. I will also use words over pictures in order to help tell my story better and share my personal experiences with details you can not hear from the video clips. I am not good at using and editing  video so I expect this to be a challenge for me but I am excited. Here is an example of three photos I may use, but have hundreds more.


This is an image from the Acropolis and Parthenon. What many people do not know is that there as an Acropolis and Parthenon within every city because Acropolis literally means "on top of". This is where the God, or ruler of the city, would live.


This is an image of me at a restaurant on a mountain in Athens, it was at the highest point in Athens. I wanted to go here because of inspiration from my High School Guidance counselor. Years ago she went to Greece and this was one of the places she went, so I knew I had to go as well so we could compare pictures.


Spanokopita is a food often eaten in Greece because of its food density. Being "food dense" means it has multiple nutrients and Spanokopita has carbs, vegetables, fat, and protein. I intend on using multiple food pictures because it was a very large, important part of my trip. We were always eating new things and learning about their health benefits. I learned about the benefits of wine, spices, fish, fruit, oils, and much more.

The story I want to tell incorporates what a typical day in Greece is life. I want to tell the story of what its like to be there, both the pros and cons. I want to talk about the culture and inform individuals on my experiences. I also want people to learn about why it is so important to study abroad and the benefits it has brought to my life.
During my trip I was most passionate about the element of a healthy diet. I will talk about this the most because everyday we ate, a lot, but also learned about the things we were eating. The spanokopita in the image above was actually made by the group in one of our cooking lessons. I am also going to talk about the benefits of other foods, such as breakfast and even the consumption of wine.
Luckily my inspiration for my non-fictional multimedia presentation have easy resources to draw back to. I have videos and voice recordings of my experiences, I wrote a journal during my trip, and have over 300 photos. I also may discuss my personal motivation for going on the trip and talk about how it has impacted my life after the fact. When I came to college I had no desire to study abroad, I did not think I could with my major. However, one day I randomly saw an advertisement for the trip on twitter. During my first few weeks of college I was in a bit of a funk, like many students are when adjusting to a new place. Once I saw this trip however I was filled with purpose and had a goal in mind. I ended up accomplishing this goal. I never would have wanted to learn about new cultures if it was not for my mom. She always encouraged me to try new things, and be fearless(even though the fearless thing does not always work out). I know she would be proud of me for taking advantage of this opportunity and going on the trip. My next goal is to do an alternative break and volunteer at a destination rather than receiving credit.

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